It Will Be All Right
by PallaPlease
Summary: Kronk learns a lesson from a being of the deep waters, one that might very well save his purpose.  [Complete]


It Will Be All Right  
  
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Depressed and alone, Kronk sat at the edge of the lake, staring into its crystal depths. "Spinach puffs," he sighed sadly, shaking his head ruefully. "Spinach puffs?" a shy voice repeated. "Yeah, spinach puffs," he replied, sighing again. A short young woman with long blue hair dressed in traditional clothes sat down beside him, strange eyes shifting colors from aquamarine to green to blue, never the same color twice.   
  
"Tell me what happened," she said softly, touching his hand with hers, aware of the clammy feel surrounding her hand. Heaving another sigh, Kronk began his story with a "Well, it started out pretty nice and all…" and she watched attentively, nodding and a-huh-ing sympathetically at points.   
  
Finally, he finished. "So I came here, you know, because nobody seems to care anymore." Silently, she grasped his hand in hers and squeezed it kindly. "Come with me," she broke in abruptly, pulling him to his feet with a surprisingly strong heave.   
  
With no other alternative, Kronk followed the lithe maiden as she dashed into the jungle, quick and sure as he thumped along behind her. Suddenly, she ceased her movement, standing still in front of a large, grand tree trunk. Kronk came to a stop beside the young woman, looking at her, then the tree. "Uh…why a tree?" he asked meekly.  
  
"This tree is older than old, it has existed for many emperor's lifetimes," she began sagely, voice quiet and subdued; "It has seen many evils and many goods. But, alas, it is only one tree. It is mighty and kind, but one day, someone will try to harm it." Turning, she started running again, only a short distance, pulling herself to a halt beside a decaying log. "And one day, it will be this." Kronk swallowed, a lump in his throat. "Look here, though." She swept aside deadness and ripped a few chunks off of the log. Peering inside, the tall, muscular man could make out a hint of green, young and determined. "The tree has still lived on, even through the harshest of punishments."  
  
Kronk looked at her delicate face, unsure of her meaning. Smiling gently at him, she took his hand again. "Come, I can show you more." Walking carefully through a hazardous piece of jungle dotted with skeletons and silent bodies, she fell to her knees beside one. "Once this creature," she motioned to the dying black panther, its wheezes almost unbearable; "was the most noble of all, feared and loved, cursed and worshipped. Now he has only one option left to him-that of eternity. Yet, even as he falls, he will be immortalized in paintings and epics both grand and brutal." The animal made a purring sound as she stroked his head lovingly, before his chest shuddered once, then fell for the last time.  
  
Kronk bowed his head, wishing it a safe farewell. A tear sprang to his eye, not for himself, but for the infinitely beautiful animal dead before him.   
  
She smiled. Her work was almost done. "Now, we must look at you."  
  
He looked up, startled and bemused.   
  
"You were a guard and then the chosen henchman of the vile sorceress Yzma, who tried to destroy our kingdom's now-beloved Emperor Kuzco. In a way, you fell, dying when you followed her evil, but, as the tree and the panther live on through the young or the mouth, so shall you live on. You are indebted to protect the children of the land and instruct them in the ways of the forest. That is all I ask of you, to protect the children."  
  
He nodded, understanding and honest of his agreement. A smile lit her face and she touched his cheek with her fragile hand. "You have learned well, Kronk," she whispered longingly, brushing her lips across his cheek. In an instant, she turned and vanished into the jungle, leaving a trail of puddles wherever she placed her feet down. Touching his cheek, blushing, he turned as well, moving on to forge a new life.  
  
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End AN: It was short. Cut me some slack! First fanfic in "The Emperor's New Groove"! I'm working on a longer story starring two original characters (Llana and Chel-both girls and orphaned sisters), Kuzco, and Kronk. Yay! Off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz…   
  
Ja ne!  
PallaPlease. 


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